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Thread: RFI: Current Radio Communication Best Buy

  1. #1
    Hammertime
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Desert Southwest

    RFI: Current Radio Communication Best Buy

    Hi all. I am completely ignorant of two way radios outside walkie talkies and CBs as a kid.

    Some friends and I like to drive together and want some sort of communication that isn’t cellular dependent. Range up to a few miles.

    I am certain there are a million options but would appreciate if someone could direct me to the Glock 19 of hand held radios and maybe some sort of car mount for them.

    Thank you very much.

  2. #2
    https://shop.opticsplanet.com/backco...2-0-radio.html

    That's my vote. It can be a lot more complicated depending on your interest in learning about radio. Easy to clip the mic to your shirt, clip the radio somewhere else.

  3. #3
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2021
    Location
    Outside the Moderate Damage Radius
    Get MURS (VHF band) portable and use a coax-fed, quarter- wave magnetic mount antenna centered on the vehicle roof and connect the coax to the portable so that you have a clear RF path outside the vehicle cab. Detach the coax and reinstall the flexible helical whip on the handheld when you leave the vehicle, so.you have "walk and talk" ability. No license required.

  4. #4
    Abducted by Aliens Borderland's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Camano Island WA.
    We have an older version of these.

    https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Solu...77&sr=8-6&th=1




    Purchased for RV use but now used for emergency comms as we no longer have the RV. Not sure what the range is, probably line of sight. I'm reading 3 miles max from users.
    In the P-F basket of deplorables.

  5. #5
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Fort Worth, TX
    Quote Originally Posted by Outpost75 View Post
    Get MURS (VHF band) portable and use a coax-fed, quarter- wave magnetic mount antenna centered on the vehicle roof and connect the coax to the portable so that you have a clear RF path outside the vehicle cab. Detach the coax and reinstall the flexible helical whip on the handheld when you leave the vehicle, so.you have "walk and talk" ability. No license required.
    This is a good plan... Or... If you have any interest in getting your HAM license, the above (swap for a dual band antenna, still cheap) also works very well attached to a $35 HAM radio from Amazon...
    "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776

  6. #6
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    I've been messing around with radios all my life/career. I finally got my Technician Ham license in 2022 (KO4ZMP). and bought a basic hand-held for general purpose Ham use. These require a license to transmit on, though.

    The other option you'll see is "GMRS" (General Mobile Radio Services). Transmitting on these will require a license with the FCC ($35, can apply online, covers the applicant and their family), but you can listen without one.

    https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-...o-service-gmrs

    Example GMRS radio:

    https://a.co/d/1rsRw5W

    For general civilian use, without needing a license, a simple "Family Radio System" (FRS) pair like @Borderland posted would get my vote. I have a couple of Motorola Talkabouts that we used for RV use when we were traveling, and still have them around somewhere.

    Not mine, but this is one of many example radios you can order:

    https://a.co/d/5TEYspi

  7. #7
    "Range up to a few miles"

    That's always the question: range is very very very dependent on the topography between the transmitters, antennas, as mentioned whether the antenna is in a car, yadda, yadda. Vendors like to say 'up to NN miles', but what they mean is NN miles if the two antennas are on mountaintops with a clear line of sight.

    For example, we have some of the GMRS radios advertised as 'up to 30 miles' or somesuch, but the practical distance in flattish suburbia is more like a mile (that's outdoors to outdoors). With one of the base station/car antennas on our roof and the car version of the radio the range to a handheld is maybe two miles.

    At the cabin, we can't talk to a neighbor a mile away because the cabin sites aren't quite line of sight; one of us has to move couple hundred yards to get a better path.

    Anyway, I just wanted to make the point that 'up to 40 miles' doesn't imply 'at least 2 miles'.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Outpost75 View Post
    Get MURS (VHF band) portable and use a coax-fed, quarter- wave magnetic mount antenna centered on the vehicle roof and connect the coax to the portable so that you have a clear RF path outside the vehicle cab. Detach the coax and reinstall the flexible helical whip on the handheld when you leave the vehicle, so.you have "walk and talk" ability. No license required.
    Do you have a good example of a model that allows this antenna/coax swap? I may need to go that route in the future.

  9. #9
    Chasing the Horizon RJ's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Quote Originally Posted by Dog Guy View Post
    Do you have a good example of a model that allows this antenna/coax swap? I may need to go that route in the future.
    I’ve got that setup for my Baofeng in the truck. When I get back home I’ll get some details on what I bought, in case it helps.

  10. #10
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Fort Worth, TX
    Quote Originally Posted by Dog Guy View Post
    Do you have a good example of a model that allows this antenna/coax swap? I may need to go that route in the future.
    Antenna: (there are many other choices)
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    You'll need a connector that translates the end of the antenna coax (PL-259) to whatever the correct connector is for the specific HT you are using... I find Amazon or eBay useful for this connector, but it's the rare instance where I find myself missing Radio Shack.

    Here's a connector set on Amazon that gets you both a coax to male and coax to female that should cover lots of HT options, but, again, make sure your HT is a match..
    "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776

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